Knautia arvensis, commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.

The leaves form a basal rosette, are paired on the stem, the lowest typically 300 mm (12 in) long, spear shaped, whereas the upper are smaller.

Species of scabious were used to treat scabies, and many other afflictions of the skin including sores caused by the bubonic plague.

[2] The genus Knautia is named after a 17th-century German botanist, Christian Knaut.

Commonly found on roadsides and field margins, and in meadows, it is particularly abundant where there is chalk bedrock.